Hounds of Love
by sailor-hudi-judi
Summary: Having been saved by him from a pair of death eaters at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup Viktor feels he owes Armando a great debt. When his school arrives at Hogwarts for the Tri Wizard Tournament he finds his savior, and possibly something more? A story intended to explore the relationship between Viktor and an OC of mine that touches on queer identities within the wizarding world.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first go at a fanfic so if there's any comments or criticisms you have regarding my writing, please don't be afraid to send them my way. I'm writing this mainly for me, but if you enjoy it as well, great. If you don't, well, sorry about it.

**Chapter 1**

Armando awoke to the sound of roaring fires and the cries of witches and wizards desperately running for their lives. Alone and surrounded by what could only be described as chaos, he found himself in a state of absolute shock. One moment he was listening to his friends, the Weasleys, energetically tease and bicker with each other about the result of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup; everything seemed to be fine when next thing he knew, he was running through a field of tents as a herd of witches and wizards alike clashed against each other trying to escape the havoc. He'd hardly had time to process it all before getting knocked out by who knows what.

He spat the dirt out his mouth and touched his face, only to wince at the rasping pain that caused him. Carefully wiping the dirt off his copper skin he attempted to stand upright. Aside from the pulsing coming from his head and the tingling tenderness of his cheek, his body seemed fine. Thank God. _Where do I even go?_ He started walking as quickly as possible, building it up to a slow jog as he attempted to get as far away from the campsite as he could. He looked back and could see the furthermost part of the campsite slowly turning into a graveyard of tents and debris. _Where the hell are my friends?_ Armando hoped to at least be able to meet up with one of them so at least he wouldn't be alone. He'd also hoped they'd be able to make sense of everything. _What am I doing?_He was supposed to be enjoying the night with his good friends, not scared and alone.

Lots of the tents that stood earlier today were now destroyed and being slowly consumed by fire. He found a raised clearing far enough from the burning tents that offered some shelter and a view of most of the campsite. Amidst the stars and smoke above, Armando noticed a green light smudging the night sky. Made up of stars that shined like jade, there was a huge skull with an emerald serpent slithering out its mouth. _What the hell is that?_The only source of light Armando could see was that of the emerald skull above and of the red flames below. In the distance he could hear the sound of the roaring fire mixed with the screams of people frantically trying to escape the chaos.

He looked around anxiously for anything that would give him any sort of relief when the sound of running feet hitting the ground caused Armando to turn his head. He couldn't see who the person was, but he figured it best to hide for the moment until he figured out who the sounds belonged to. He crouched low, waiting to see the approaching stranger. As the person got closer and the sounds of running feet got louder, Armando saw the silhouette. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and seemed to be running from something. Or someone?

"Who is that?" he asked himself. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. _Can't be Harry or Ron, or any of the twins. Maybe it's Mr. Weasley? No he doesn't have that type of build._ Armando sneaked a bit closer to get a better view of who this stranger was and discovered that they were in fact a young man. But upon getting closer he realized that there was more than just one person. For as the young man ran, Armando saw him throw jinxes and curses over his shoulder.

_What is going on?!_Armando crouched, unsettled by the tremendous amount of confusion and anxiousness that was building inside him. It was obvious that the young man rushing through the area was desperately trying to escape from someone or something as he continued to shoot curses behind him. That's when Armando saw who he was running from: death eaters. Two of them to be exact. Hooded and concealing their faces with masks, these two death eaters chased after the unknown man shooting streams of red, green, and blue lights out their wands that each time seemed to get closer and closer to hitting their target. Armando was thinking about finding another place to hide when he saw a bright red light shoot straight at the young man's shoulder, followed by a loud cry as he was sent flying forward and rolling in the dirt. Wands raised, the two death eaters approached the young man as he struggled to get up. _He's gonna die.._With so much emotions going on inside him all at once, he didn't know what to do, but running off to safety seemed to be the best thing to do at the moment. Armando turned around and began to silently tiptoe away, when he suddenly heard one of the death eaters shout a spell that was followed by a scream from the injured stranger. _Fuck_He wanted so bad to start running, but his body did not listen to him. With either bravery, downright foolishness, or a mixture of both, and a lack of sensible thinking, Armando turned around and walked towards them, wand raised.

"Confringo!" he shouted, creating a great explosion whose impact hit one of the two death eaters, knocking them down. The other one quickly turned to face the direction in which the curse was shot from and shot back a curse that barely missed Armando.

"Who goes there ?!" Shouted the death eater. He shot another curse, setting a dried up tree on fire. Armando snuck around the bushes and trees while the death eater approached his previous position. He quickly went to the injured stranger and crouched down to see his wounds. His nose was bleeding, his face and arms were scraped up and his shoulder looked displaced, making him groan in agony. _He looks a mess._ It was obvious that this stranger was in pain, but nothing a healing spell and some remedies couldn't fix... hopefully. Armando looked down at the young man and held his index finger to his lips, telling him to keep as quiet as possible. He stood up slowly and aimed his wand at the death eater's back. The death eater was starting to turn to face them when Armando shouted, "Stupefy!" A beam of scarlet light shot out his wand and hit the death eater straight in the chest, shooting him back and knocking him unconscious. Armando knelt back down and asked the stranger, "I'm going to need you to get up. Can you do that?" The young man seemed dazed and didn't reply. Armando repeated himself and this time the young man appeared to understand him because he slowly nodded. Armando tried his best to help him stand, but it was a struggle. He was as heavy as he looked but the adrenaline coursing through Armando's body certainly helped in getting him up and limping about. He managed to put the stranger's good arm over his shoulders and said, "Alright let's get somewhere safe, okay?" Only response he got from him was a nod and some groans but that was enough of a reply for Armando because he started walking after that.

They walked for what felt like an eternity. Every step they took seemed to be painful for the young man whose face was difficult to make out under the scrapes and blood and every noise frightened Armando. He was scared that behind a tree or shrub another death eater would jump out and hit them with the killing curse or worse. The fires had died down for the most part, which gave Armando a sliver of hope and a tiny sense of relief. When they finally established enough distance for Armando to deem safe and clear, Armando slowly set the man down on the ground and took a look at his shoulder._It looks bad._

"It's not that bad," he lied. He took his wand out and the young man immediately raised his other arm in protest.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," he told the stranger, "And I kinda saved your life," he said shakily, "so I think it's safe to say you can somewhat trust me..." the stranger lowered his arm, "...for now. Episkey". A loud crack could be heard as the stranger's bones popped back together, making him yell out in pain.

"I'm sorry!" whispered Armando, "but your shoulder was really messed up! I had to." The young man continued to groan in pain, but it was clear that he was thankful that this stranger had been kind enough to save his life.

"Try not to move it a lot. We should get you real help, I just popped the bones back together," Armando told the stranger. He was relieved to no longer be alone, but he really wanted to be with his friends right now. "We have to get out of here," Armando said, standing up. "You good to walk?" the stranger nodded and they slowly walked towards who knows what. Armando noticed that the stranger's footsteps were really loud. It got to the point that they made him anxious because he was sure everyone within a half kilometer radius could hear them. _If another one of those guys comes out again, I'm leaving his ass._

They had walked for ten minutes when the stranger tripped and fell behind Armando. Armando turned around and crouched next to him when all of a sudden, a set of wizards apparated around them shouting "Stupefy!" Armando ducked his head, laying it on the stranger's abdomen. Had they not been on the ground, the spells surely would've knocked them out.

"Who are you?!" One of the wizards shouted. Armando looked up at and saw that they weren't dressed like the other ones. He couldn't make out their faces, but he could clearly see their wands all pointed at him.

"Who are you?" Armando replied back.

"We ask the questions and you ans-"

"Crouch!" One of the other people cut him off. "They're children! Armando it's me." Armando looked at the owner of the voice, jumped up and ran to them. "Mr. Weasley!"

"Arthur careful!" Crouch exclaimed, eyeing Armando as if he was about to pull a stunt on him.

"Oh put your wands down! It's just Armando. My Armando, I'm glad you're alive! Are you hurt?"

"No im fine but this guy is hurt," Armando replied. "He was being attached by two men in masks and hooded cloaks over there so I helped him, but he needs medical help. Have you found the others?" Upon hearing his story, Crouch ordered a witch and wizard to check the area and they quickly apparated as the rest approached the fallen stranger.

"Are you saying you fought off two men?" Crouch asked. Armando looked to Mr. Weasley, who nodded.

"I think my response should be no because no underage magic but-"

"No matter. You'll receive a pardon from the ministry this time," Crouch said quickly before walking towards the stranger on the floor.

"Armando let's go find the others and get back to the port key," Mr. Weasley said putting his hand on Armando's shoulder. He nodded and they went off.

"Wait." He turned mid-step to see the stranger standing up while three wizards tried to help him.

"Vwat is your name?" the stranger asked.

"Armando Cisneros," Armando replied before running off to catch up with Mr. Weasley.

"Take it easy Krum," one of the wizards told him.

"Let's get you out of here," another added. He didn't pay much attention to them, but just watched as the boy who saved his life disappeared into the darkness.

_Armando Cisneros... I owe you one._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"How are you doing, Armando?" Ever since the attack at the World Cup, Armando honestly felt uneasy. There'd be moments where he'd get nervous to turn the corner at a road or long hallway out of fear of finding a death eater waiting for him and whenever he'd enter a restroom, he'd peek behind the shower curtain and check every cupboard to make sure that no one was there. He felt uneasy ever since that night, but he'd found some solace in knowing that he'd be going back to Hogwarts; comfort and safety in a place that was his second home.

"I'll be fine," he answered Ron, "I'll be good once we get to Hogwarts." He smiled and turned to look out the window for a moment, enjoying the scenery as the Hogwarts Express made its way down the tracks to its destination. As he looked at the hills and trees whiz by, he remembered his experience back at the World Cup. He half expected death eaters to emerge from some trees and attack the train the same way they'd attacked the campsite. He'd been scared to the point that he'd asked the Weasleys if he could stay with them until school started, but even in their home he was uneasy. He was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

"I want to write your mom a thank you letter for letting me stay with you guys again," Armando added, "I really appreciated it."

"Don't mention it, you know how much my parents like you," Ron replied. And it was true, Ron's parents truly loved Armando. Plus, he was muggle born and thus knew a lot about muggles and their culture, peaking Mr. Weasley's interest. Throughout Armando's stay at the Weasley's he'd often ask him a question or seven about muggle music, typically about Whitney Houston, Kylie Minogue, and this so-called "the Madonna." Armando would gladly answer all the questions, and enjoyed talking to Mrs. Weasley when she wasn't screaming at her children. She was certainly a mother figure for him. Definitely a lot more than his actual mother. Matter of fact, he didn't even know his biological mother. A wealthy couple from Manchester with a peculiar desire to adopt "children of color in need" had adopted him from the States when he was 10, so he'd barely even started adjusting to living in the UK when he got his letter from Hogwarts. Had he still been in the States, he would've probably attended Ilvermorny, but after three years at Hogwarts, the thought of attending any other wizarding school was practically nonexistent. And thankfully his step-parents didn't question his wizarding identity much, so long as he was always there for the holiday pictures so they could show everyone how kind and charitable they were to have brought a poor Latino from the United States into a life of luxury in Manchester.

Tuning back into the conversation going on in front of him, Armando heard Ron rambling on about Viktor Krum's greatness while Hermione told him to shut up about it. Viktor Krum. Armando still couldn't believe he couldn't tell the stranger from that night at the World Cup had been the Bulgarian seeker. It wasn't until later that Mr. Weasley had informed him of the young man's identity. He'd felt stupid for not being able to recognize him right away, but then again he wasn't a huge fanatic like Ron was. In all honesty, he didn't know as much about the wizarding world or UK in general as he'd liked. He missed his childhood in the US.

"Armando you sure you're okay?" Hermione asked, putting her book down. Armando turned to face her, giving her a soft smile.

"Yea, I'm good. I was just thinking. I'll be better once we're at Hogwarts, I'm kinda hungry."

"Me too!" Ron added, "Plus, my parents seemed to be extra excited for me to come back to school this year."

"Why?" Harry asked. Armando wondered the same thing. Ron shrugged, "They just said it'd be a big year. 'One for the books' as my dad put it."

Harry looked to Hermione. "You have any clue, Mione?"

"I don't know, maybe they're just excited to not have to deal with Ron for a bit," she said, sarcastically. Armando and Harry chuckled at that while Ron made a face at a smiling Hermione.

"Whatever the reason it is, I'm just happy to be going back. Just please try not to get involved in something crazy this year will you?" Armando said, looking at all three of them, "I am tired of being worried about all of you 24/7."

"Don't worry. This year is going to be easy and we won't get caught up in any mess," Harry answered, smiling at Armando who stared at him for a second. _That's what you said last year and we had to deal with finding out Sirius Black is your godfather and those damn dementors were everywhere_. Settling back into his seat on the train, Armando stayed quiet for the rest of the trip, enjoying hearing his friends' conversation.

o=~=o=

Armando, Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat at their table waiting for the headmaster to stand up at the podium and welcome everyone. Armando and Ron had been staring at Dumbledore intensely, wanting him to just get the announcements over with so they could finally eat. _Dumbledore I love you, but please stand up and make your announcements so we can eat!_

"How much longer do we have to wait before we can bloody eat? I'm starving" Ron mumbled.

"I know!" Armando whispered, "I want to eat already!"

"Is all you two can think about right now is food?" Ginny teased.

Armando turned to look at her and smiled. "That and men." Ginny giggled and winked at him. She'd been so nice to him when he'd stayed over at the Weasleys. They'd gotten really close in that time, probably even closer than him and Ron were. Ron was nice and all, but a bit pessimistic and grumpy at times; he reminded Armando of an old man, which he found adorable on good days and a pain to deal with on bad ones. He loved all the Weasleys though. They were his third family, and in many ways his link to the magical world. If it weren't for them, he'd probably be more ignorant about everything in the wizarding world.

"Look!" Armando felt Ron tapping his shoulder and turned to face the podium where Dumbledore was now standing. _Finally_!

o=~=o=

"So, this is Hogwarts," Dimo looked up and around the corridor's walls. "What do you think Viktor?"

"It's bigger than our school and the walls are very nice."

"Dah. speaking of nice..." Dimo hit Viktor's chest lightly as a group of girls in periwinkle dresses and boys in navy blue blazers neatly lined up in front of the doors of the great hall. Viktor noticed that both the girls and the boys all seemed to be objectively attractive.

"Vould you look at that?" Dimo muttered, eyeing the girls. "Do you not see them Viktor?"

"Yes I see them. They're from Beauxbatons," he said looking at the emblem on one of the boy's chest. Dimo looked even more excited now. "French girls?!" A group of girls batted their eyes at the two of them while smiling and waving. A blonde girl made her presence stand out from the little group as she giggled flirtatiously, eyeing Viktor. With pale blue eyes that complemented her fair skin, she gave him a wink. Viktor gave her a faint smile and Dimo nudged him with his elbow.

"Go talk to her."

"I'll do it if you go talk to the one that keeps on staring at you."

"Which one? There's like five of them!" Viktor chuckled and shook his head. Dimo was winking at some of them when their giant headmistress showed up, clapped her hands, and threw him a glare. Towering above him, she scoffed at Dimo, making him blush and shyly smile at her. When she walked away, Viktor looked at him and laughed. As the headmistress stood in the back of her students' lines, the girls and boys from Beauxbatons began to gracefully file into the great hall.

"Everyone line up," Karkaroff ordered. He made a hand gesture and all the Durmstrang students began to get into their choreographed lines. Viktor was standing in his spot right behind Dimo when Karkaroff put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him out of the line.

"Except for you, Viktor. You'll stand beside me" Viktor's face might have indicated no emotion, but he honestly dreaded being in the back with Karkaroff. He knew Karkaroff only wanted him in the back with him because it'd catch everyone's attention, something Viktor definitely did not want. As Viktor walked towards the back, he turned to get a quick look at Dimo who looked back and offered him a supportive grin.

"You'll vin it for us," Karkaroff said, not looking at Viktor. Viktor said nothing, knowing exactly what he meant. The Tri-Wizard Cup. He stood in silence waiting until he heard the name of his school get called from the other side of the great hall's doors. The doors swung open and the lines of Durmstrang students began walking in.

o=~=o=

Armando watched as a sea of periwinkle and navy blue flooded the hall. Girls in blue suits of fine silk gracefully waltzed down the center aisle, gracefully extending their hands and smiling at the boys each time they stopped in unison to release a harmonious sigh. "Bloody hell," Ron swooned.

"Even the boys are beautiful," Ginny signed. And she was right. Behind the girls came the boys, walking in unison and stopping every couple of steps to turn and smile at the infatuated girls around them. As they walked closer, an olive skinned boy with green eyes and a chiseled jaw smiled in their direction, giving a cheeky wink. Hermione quickly turned to Armando. "Did that boy wink at you?"

"No I don't think so. It was for Ginny."

"Oh shut up," Ginny interjected. "We all know you could give these boys and girls a run for their money. I'm sure that wink was for you."

"Who is 'we'? You're the only one who agrees with that," he whispered. "Besides you're the one who is on their level. The wink was for you."

"Ah you're just being nice," she said lightly chuckling at him. "You really think I'm pretty?"

"Of course! You're very pretty," Armando grinned, looking back at the Beaubatons students. "But you ain't me." He winked and shook his shoulders a bit, making Ginny laugh.

"And now, introducing the proud sons of Durmstrang!"

They both turned to watch lines of young men barge into the great hall. Their cockiness as they entered spinning large sticks and hitting them against the ground caught Armando's attention. _Nice big sticks._

When the end of the line appeared before the great hall, everyone with the exception of a few girls' gasps, fell silent.

"It's Viktor Krum," Ron whispered. Armando's eyes moved towards the back of the group of men to see the young man walking in way ahead of his headmaster, a determined look in his eyes. He looked different now that he wasn't injured or out in the dark. Viktor looked forward as if he didn't want to acknowledge anyone else. He looked like he meant business. His headmaster behind him looked determined as well, but unlike Viktor, his face looked cold and mean. _Thank God he's not our headmaster._

Viktor passed the tables of infatuated girls and envious boys who loved or wanted to be him. He didn't want to look at or be looked by them. Only time he didn't despise being looked at was when he was on his broom during a Quidditch game. Back at Durmstrang, most of the people seemed to accept him as just another young man studying magic. Here he knew he wouldn't have that luxury, but he'd deal with it if it meant he got the chance compete in the Tri Wizard Tournament. He'd attained a respectable Quidditch title and now eternal glory as a Tri Wizard champion would be a possibility for him, if he got chosen to represent Durmstrang, of course.

Viktor followed his classmates and sat at a table on the edge of the great hall beneath the green banner of a snake. As the many students at the table ogled him, he smiled to himself thinking back to Armando, the boy who had saved him. The boy who hadn't been able to recognize him as the popular Bulgarian seeker. He had wondered many times after that night if he even knew who he was. _Probably not._

"Hey there." He turned to see a lanky blonde boy standing behind him.

"Uh... Hello." Viktor said with a polite nod.

"The names Draco. Draco Malfoy," said the blonde boy as he offered his hand out. Draco Malfoy. Viktor has heard of the Malfoys and of their reputation before. His father had told him to be weary if he ever met one of them, yet his headmaster had told him that when he met Draco he was to treat him as a comrade. Viktor figured a handshake would be harmless enough.

"Viktor Krum,"He said.

"I know," Draco said with a smile. "I saw you play at the World Cup from the minister's box. We all here think you should have won. This here is Crabbe and Goyle," he said, gesturing to the two bigger boys behind him.

"We all think so as vell," chuckled Dimo. "I'm Dimo." Viktor knew that what Malfoy had said was not genuine but for mere flattery. He'd met many people like him since becoming a famous seeker and they honestly annoyed him. Crabbe and Goyle shoved some Slytherin students so Malfoy could get a seat next to Viktor. "So, seems like you'll be in Hogwarts for a while. I'm sure you'll make friends here, but be careful. You don't want to go befriending the wrong sort." Malfoy turned his head towards the Gryffindor table on the other side of the great hall. Viktor followed Malfoy's sight and saw who Malfoy was looking at: a boy with glasses sitting with a few red heads, a girl with long brown curls, and a boy with brown skin and black hair that was short on the sides and curled at the top. _Wait. Who is that? Is that who I think it is?! It can't be! I thought he was American?_

"Who is that over there?" he asked Draco, nodding his head in the direction of the group in question.

"Which one? The loser in glasses is Harry Potter," Draco snorted, "The red heads are all Weasleys. Don't want to get involved with that lot. The other two are Granger and Cisneros. Definitely don't want to get involved with those two mudbloods." Draco looked at them with disgust and laughed with Crabbe and Goyle while Dimo looked at Viktor, a bit shocked to hear that word in a school that, unlike theirs, actually accepted muggle born witches and wizards. _Prejudice truly exists everywhere._

o=~=o=

"Ugh this is so good" Armando sighed, taking a bite of a piece of chicken.

"Mhmm," Ron grunted, chewing threw a piece of steak while Hermione and Ginny stared at him in disgust. Wiping his own mouth with a napkin, Armando tuned in on Fred and George's conversation. After hearing about the Tri Wizard Tournament and the upsetting rule that no witch or wizard under the age of 17 would be able to compete, the two of them were scheming on how to get their names into the goblet.

"Let's ask one of the older Gryffindors to put our names in the goblet for us," Fred suggested.

"That's not going to work," Hermione interrupted. "Dumbledore would not let it be that easy. It's going to be impossible."

"What about an aging potion?" Armando asked, looking to Hermione.

"Brilliant idea, Armando!" Fred and George beamed.

"That's not going to work either. And Armando stop encouraging them," Hermione scolded.

"We'll get our names into that goblet, just you wait."

"You let her know!" Armando chuckled. "I'm going to the restroom I'll be right back." He stood up and walked towards the doors of the great hall, without a clue that someone from the Slytherin table had been watching him every once in a while out of the corner of their eye.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Armando walked down the corridor, happy to be back in Hogwarts where he felt safe. He wasn't at all afraid to turn the corner because he knew that here, nothing would pop up in front of him to scare him. However, he should've been concerned with what was behind him as well.

"Well look who it is," Armando froze. _Malfoy_. Armando turned around and sarcastically smiled as Malfoy and his two big friends that he liked to call Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum walked towards him with three other boys from Durmstrang that he obviously didn't know.

"Hey Malfoy," he gave a quick look behind him, "and guests." He maintained his smile.

"Where do you think you're going, Cisneros?"

Armando rolled his eyes. "The restroom obviously."

"Don't sass me you filthy mud blood!"

"Mudblood? You got any other insults?" Armando teased.

"Why you lit-"

"Quickly though because I really have to go." Armando turned and continued on towards the restroom, knowing it would have Malfoy fuming.

"See?! this is why I considered transferring to Durmstrang," Malfoy told the other boys, raising his voice so Armando could hear him. "At least there I wouldn't have to deal with mudbloods who don't know their place!"

o=~=o=

Viktor and Dimo came out just in time to

catch Malfoy rambling on about mudbloods and magical purity.

"I don't know where that pathetic imbecile gets his confidence from. Being around the Weasleys must have actually made him feel as if he is on our level."

Viktor and Dimo quickly walked past the group of boys, relieved that they didn't acknowledge them. The two of them walked down the corridor, making a left at the corner.

"Who do you think they were talking about?" Dimo asked.

"Who knows," Viktor replied. But deep down, he had a feeling he knew who Malfoy had been talking about.

"Ahh, here it is," Dimo said, barging into the restroom door looking for the nearest stall. At that moment, there was a flush from the third stall on the right and to Viktor's surprise, Armando stepped out of it.

"Armando?" he called out, but he didn't respond. Viktor called his name again but still no answer. He didn't even seem to notice that he was there. Viktor however, noticed that Armando had something on his head that was covering his ears, so he went up and tapped his shoulder. Surprised, Armando turned his head and quickly removed his headphones to hide them in his robe.

"Oh hey!" he smiled shyly, surprised to see who had tapped his shoulder.

"Vhat are you doing here?" A confused look slowly drew itself on Armando's face.

"Using the restroom..." He walked towards the sink, looking at Viktor through the mirror. "Now I'm washing my hands... Why?" _That was a stupid question. Of course he was using the restroom. why else would he be here,_Viktor thought.

"Uhhh... I just vanted to thank you. For saving me. I am sure if it weren't for you, I vouldn't be here." Viktor tensely stood in his spot, looking at Armando's reflection while he continued washing his hands.

"Oh!" Armando said relieved._ I thought he was about to snitch on me_. "You don't need to thank me. Your wounds were bad, but nothing too bad, you know what I mean?"

"You didn't just heal me though," Viktor said, taking a step forward. "You saved my life and I would like to repay the debt."

"You don't owe me anything," Armando reassured, feeling a little bit uncomfortable by the whole situation. "I honestly don't know what came over me that night because I really thought about running away. But I just couldn't. Didn't feel right. And I'm sure if the roles were reversed, you would've done the same." he turned the faucet off, wiping his hands with a paper towel.

"I vould hope so, yes," Viktor agreed. "But you were very brave. I feel I owe a great debt, and I vant to find a way to thank you for saving my life." Armando turned around and looked him in the eye.

"Bravery is what Gryffindors do, so don't thank me for it," Armando said, shrugging his shoulders. "About repaying the debt, I have something you could do for me." Armando pulled out his Walkman out of his robes. "This is my Walkman." Viktor started at it, confused by what Armando was getting at. "It's what muggles use to hear music when they're walking, man," he joked, but it must not have been that funny to Viktor because he just stared at him.

"Anyways," he continued, "Muggle technology like this isn't supposed to work here at Hogwarts, but I found a spell to make mine work. I can't take it off the castle grounds, though. Otherwise, the spell gets broken and I can't bring it back, so I just keep it hidden inside the walls of the restroom when I'm not here," he explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Viktor asked, still confused about how exactly a Walkman worked.

"Well now that you have this piece of information that could definitely get me in serious trouble, you can repay the debt by keeping it a secret and not telling anybody about it." Armando gave Viktor a jocular smile and clarity appeared on Viktor's face. "Oh I understand now. Your secret is safe vith me."

"Thank you," Armando grinned. He was about to put his Walkman back in his robes, but Viktor continued. "But I still do not think that repays the debt of saving my life. But uhhh... does this valking man really play any song you vant?"

"It's a Walkman," Armando corrected. "And no, I wish! I have mixtapes which are like these small boxes you put into the Walkman. The mixtapes have a lot of different songs put inside them so if I have a song I want to listen to in a mixtape, I can listen to it when I want through here," he explained, pointing to the earphones. "You want to listen to them real quick?" He extended his arm, offering the headphones to him. Viktor took them and placed them on his head. The moment the music reached his ears, his lips started to form a smile.

_I need a man who'll take a chance_

_On a love that burns hot enough to last_

_So when the night falls_

_My lonely heart calls_

_Oh, I wanna dance with somebody_

_I wanna feel the heat with somebody_

_Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody_

_With somebody who loves me_

_Oh, I wanna dance with somebody_

_I wanna feel the heat with somebody_

_Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody_

_With somebody who loves me_

Viktor took off the earphones and handed them back to Armando. "The song is very catchy and upbeat. I like it. " Armando nodded, putting the Walkman back in his robes.

"Right?! The singer is Whitney Houston and she's really good. I love Hogwarts but I'll be damned if I have to go through it without my music!" he chirped.

"I understand. Your secret will be safe vith me," Viktor reassured him. "But I still feel I owe you something for saving me."

"You don't owe me anything. It was-"

"Please, I insist," Viktor interjected. Armando thought about it for a second or two before coming up with something.

"Okay you know what? Here." He got a napkin and pulled a pen out of his pocket, handing both of them to Viktor. "Sign this for me, please? My friend Ron is a huge fan of yours," he explained. Viktor was taken aback a bit, but he took the pen and napkin and autographed it. He gave it back to Armando who tucked it away into his robes.

"Thanks! There you go. An authentic autograph of the famous Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum. Debt paid." Viktor didn't know why, but he kind of liked hearing his name in Armando's American accent. He gave an awkward smile and tucked his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Not really, but I guess it is a start."

"Well it'll have to do because I have to get back now. Anyways, it was nice talking to you," he grinned, walking out of the restroom. After he left, there was the sound of a toilet flush and from a stall stepped out Dimo. Viktor looked at him a bit wide-eyed. He had forgotten Dimo had been in the restroom the entire time.

"Who vas that?" Dimo asked.

"Armando Cisneros. He vas the one who saved me, remember?" Surprised, Dimo pointed back at the door, eyebrows raised.

"Him?! Wow he must be good then."

"Dah, he is."

"And vas his accent American?"

"Dah, it vas."

"An American at Hogwarts. That's interesting. But I guess Bulgarians at Hogwarts might be something a bit different too," Dimo chuckled._Definitely interesting and different_, Viktor thought.

After going back to the great hall, they sat back at the Slytherin table with their fellow Durmstrang classmates. They were eating dessert but Viktor was too distracted by something to fully enjoy it. He'd look over at the Gryffindor table every once in a while. Dimo noticed and nudged him with his elbow. "What are you looking at?" Viktor quickly turned his head to face him, a bit confused.

"I'm not looking at anything, I'm just thinking," he answered. Dimo nodded and stayed quiet until they got back to their room at the Durmstrang ship.

"So, who were you staring at?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Viktor looked annoyed. "I vas just thinking about the Tri-Wizard tournament, is all."

"No you were looking at someone. And I vant to know which voman it was so I know not to vork my charm on them," he said, giving Viktor a wink. Viktor chuckled, and told him it seriously was nothing. After a while, Dimo finally stopped trying to get something out of him, to Viktor's relief. However that night, he laid in bed trying to come up with a way to truly repay Armando for saving his life. Eventually, sleep engulfed him and he knocked out like a light.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my oc's. JK Rowling owns the series, it's characters etc. Also, Whitney Houston owns the song that is used. PS, please leave a review and let me know what you think.


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